Carney's 'nation-building' projects bill passes into law — but not without Indigenous pushback

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 4:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Senate passed Prime Minister Mark Carney's landmark 'nation-building' projects measure unamended Thursday, giving the national authorities bonzer caller powers to fast-track initiatives that person the imaginable to boost the system arsenic Canada grapples with the U.S. commercialized war.

Carney's furniture tin now streamline the approvals process by allowing immoderate projects to bypass provisions of national laws similar the Impact Assessment Act, which has agelong been criticized arsenic a hindrance to getting things approved successful a timely manner.

While the authorities doesn't dictate what should beryllium built, Carney has signalled it could beryllium utilized to greenlight caller vigor "corridors" successful the eastbound and west, including imaginable pipelines and energy grids, caller and expanded larboard facilities, mines and different resource-related initiatives.

Carney has framed the authorities arsenic a mode for Canada to combat backmost against American commercialized aggression, which has already stunted economical growth, prompted occupation nonaccomplishment and caused exports to drop.

The measure passed done Parliament astatine a breakneck gait with conscionable 3 weeks betwixt its tabling successful the House of Commons and its transition successful the Red Chamber — portion of Carney's propulsion to get things done rapidly and upend however authorities has traditionally operated. The measure yet drew enactment from some Liberal and Conservative MPs, and senators of each governmental stripes.

While the measure was approved by members of the precocious house, immoderate senators strenuously opposed it, astir of them citing Indigenous rights arsenic the reason. Some members projected amendments that would person delayed the bill's transition if adopted, but all were voted down.

The authorities itself states the authorities volition recognize, affirm and "respect" Indigenous Peoples' law rights erstwhile considering a task to fast-track.

But there's a fearfulness among immoderate leaders that the consultation process with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities volition beryllium inadequate fixed Carney campaigned connected making last decisions wrong a two-year timeline. These leaders privation protections for what's called "free, anterior and informed consent" successful the Indigenous ineligible sphere.

Paul Prosper, a Mi'kmaw legislator from Nova Scotia, led the complaint against the authorities successful a code to the enclosure Thursday, quoting different First Nations leaders who called C-5 "not reconciliation" but a "betrayal of it."

While saying helium mostly supports development, Prosper said helium didn't privation to rapidly walk a measure that has been panned by immoderate Indigenous leaders arsenic the merchandise of inadequate consultation with affected communities.

WATCH | C-5 a 'betrayal' of reconciliation: Prosper: 

He said the measure whitethorn empower authorities and manufacture to tally roughshod implicit Indigenous rights erstwhile gathering a project. 

"No 1 wants to ticker our children turn up successful squalor, with nary entree to cleanable drinking water, nary accidental for good-paying jobs and nary enactment for our sick and dying. However, we bash not privation occurrence and advancement to travel connected the backs of Indigenous Peoples. We privation to beryllium astatine the table, making decisions alongside Canadian politicians, due to the fact that these decisions impact us. They impact our lands and resources," Prosper said.

Prosper said it's the Senate's occupation to basal up for determination and number interests and there's nary crushed to complaint up aft comparatively small clip to survey C-5's provisions and the imaginable consequences.

Prosper said his bureau has faced racist and abusive telephone calls successful the days since helium announced helium would effort to amend C-5 oregon dilatory it down.

"The racist vitriol and threats my bureau experienced was truthful intense, unit asked for support to not prime up chartless telephone calls. That isn't close and it isn't acceptable," helium said.

WATCH | What is Bill C-5?: 

Brian Francis, a Mi'kmaw legislator from P.E.I., said there's nary warrant the promised economical benefits for fast-tracking projects volition beryllium "fairly shared with Indigenous Peoples." He said rushing done the measure could yet hold projects due to the fact that of the imaginable for Indigenous-led lawsuits. 

"Are we genuinely successful a situation that warrants specified exceptional and unprecedented measures?" Francis asked.

Other senators questioned whether truthful rapidly passing C-5 was necessary. Speaking of the economical threats, Sen. Bernadette Clement said: "This sometimes feels similar an emergency, but is it?" 

"Growing our economy, nation-building. Yeah, that's urgent, it requires a timely and businesslike response, but it doesn't necessitate the trampling of Indigenous rights and our biology protections," she said.

WATCH | Carney sees 'learnings' from C-5 process: 

Sen. Hassan Yussuff, the bill's sponsor successful the precocious location and a erstwhile apical labour leader, argued differently.

"Our state faces an urgent and contiguous crisis," helium said of the U.S. commercialized warfare and its fallout.

Yussuff said Carney got a "strong electoral mandate to place and expedite a nationalist project" and helium asked senators to spell on with this "essential" portion of authorities to assistance the state amended basal connected its ain 2 feet.

Similarly, in an code to the Toronto Board of Trade, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said C-5 is simply a "nation-defining portion of legislation" that volition basal up a large projects bureau to determination projects on quickly.

Under this caller regime, reviews volition beryllium "focused connected 'how' the task volition beryllium built arsenic opposed to 'whether' it volition beryllium built," to springiness proponents much certainty astir investing successful Canada, helium said.

"This enactment allows america to reset that communicative astir gathering successful Canada — truthful we tin spell from hold to delivery," helium said. 

"We find ourselves successful the mediate of the astir devastating commercialized warfare of our lifetimes. A commercialized warfare we did not inquire for, but a commercialized warfare we indispensable win."

To code Indigenous concerns, Carney has said helium volition personally pb engagement sessions with rights holders this summer, starting with First Nations connected July 17.

He said they volition conscionable successful a tone of "consultation, co-operation and engagement," with a absorption connected boosting Indigenous equity successful large projects to stock the imaginable wealthiness that could travel from development.

This authorities besides removes national interior commercialized barriers, including a measurement that considers a bully oregon work that meets provincial oregon territorial rules to person met national requirements. It besides makes it easier for definite workers to get a national licence by recognizing provincial oregon territorial enactment authorizations.

"This measure and the economical imaginable that it volition unleash for our state is critical," Carney told reporters past week. "We tin physique big, physique bold, physique now, and with this legislation, physique 1 Canadian economy."